pops
08-12-2008, 10:02 PM
American Military Deaths in Iraq
Total In Combat
Since war began: 4139 3366
Since 5/1/2003: 4000 3258
Official Estimated
Total Wounded: 30490 100000+
This website is best viewed with Internet Explorer... Some images may not appear in other web browsers... Here's Reuter's Iraq AlertNet Update for August 12, 2008: BAQUBA - Iraqi authorities imposed a curfew on the capital of restive Diyala province on Tuesday after the governor survived a suicide attack that left two people were killed and seven wounded... BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb wounded eight people including four traffic policemen in Bab al-Sheikh district of central Baghdad, police said... MOSUL - Gunmen killed one policeman when they attacked his house in eastern Mosul, police said. One gunman was killed in the attack... BAGHDAD - Two Iraqis were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded by a U.S. military patrol near Beirut Square in eastern Baghdad, police said... BAQUBA - Four women were killed and four others wounded, including a woman, when a roadside bomb exploded by their pick-up vehicle near Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad, police said... MOSUL - A car bomb exploded near a petrol station and wounded two people in eastern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said... MOSUL - A pipe bomb attached to a car killed a man on Sunday in Mosul, police said... BAQUBA - A suicide bomber killed two people and wounded seven others after detonating an explosive vest near a convoy carrying the governor of Diyala province, police said. Governor Raad Rasheed was unharmed in the attack in central Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad... BAQUBA - A female suicide bomber wearing a belt packed with explosives killed a policeman and wounded 17 people when she targeted a police station in central Baquba, police said...
Lame Duck Russia Expert Condi Rice Out of the Picture on Georgia Assault. State Dept. Terms Absence a 'Personal Leave.'A BuzzFlash News Alert
Old Glory, Oh Lordy! American Flag Flip-Flopped by Bushy Boy. -- Caption This -- Send us your caption.
BuzzFlash Premium: BBC Wild China (2008) -- 2 Discs (300 Minutes). Documentary.
Save the Date: BuzzFlash Conference in Philly on Sat. Sept 27. "Uniting Progressives and the Working Class" -- A BuzzFlash Save the Date Alert
The Diplomat Decathlon: Bush's Marathon of Olympic Blunders -- A BuzzFlash News Analysis
AP: "Former Justice Department officials will not face prosecution for letting improper political considerations drive hirings of prosecutors, immigration judges and other career government lawyers, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said Tuesday." Impeach this guy too!
"Contractors reap 85 billion dollars from Iraq war: US report." You can be sure that estimate is on the low side.
GAO finding: Majority of corporations pay no taxes. Levin decries 'tax trickery.' -- A BuzzFlash News Alert
Your Thoughts Wanted Read and Comment on BuzzFlash.com Original Columns by Clicking Here. BuzzFlash.org is the Place to Find Our Original Content and Chime In. Scroll Down and Read Them All.
Frank Wietrzychowski: Pipeline To Disaster -- A BuzzFlash Reader Contribution
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
For more information please review Title 17, Sec. 107 of the U.S. Code. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
This website is the dedicated work of a Marine Corps veteran, Del Wasso.
Upset with the lack of responsible journalism in the build-up to the War in Iraq, this website attempts to provide for the public those news articles which are daily being ignored by the corporate media.
Thank you for visiting.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact
Forum
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Russia and Georgia agree to peace plan: Sarkozy
AFP
A woman from Georgia cries as she holds a Georgian flag. REUTERS/Petr Josek (CZECH REPUBLIC)
TBILISI (AFP) — Russia and Georgia have agreed to a plan brokered by France aimed at restoring peace in the region, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said here Wednesday.
"There is a text. It has been accepted in Moscow, it was accepted here in Georgia. I have the agreement of all the protaganists," Sarkozy said at an early-morning news conference in the Georgian capital.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Georgia's exit from Iraq leaves vacuum near border
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments?
Economy.
Most companies in US avoid federal income taxes
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two-thirds of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes between 1998 and 2005, according to a new report from Congress.
The study by the Government Accountability Office, expected to be released Tuesday, said about 68 percent of foreign companies doing business in the U.S. avoided corporate taxes over the same period.
Collectively, the companies reported trillions of dollars in sales, according to GAO's estimate.
"It's shameful that so many corporations make big profits and pay nothing to support our country," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who asked for the GAO study with Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.
"It's time for the big corporations to pay their fair share," Dorgan said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two-thirds of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes between 1998 and 2005? That leaves LOTS of money with which Corporate America can bribe our Congressmen with.
Comments?
Gov't report says Iraq contracts may top 100B in cost to taxpayers
UPI
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- A government report indicates that from the invasion of Iraq until the end of 2008 the United States will have spent some $100 billion on private contractor
The Congressional Budget Office's report, scheduled for release Tuesday, indicates one of every five dollars spent on the war in Iraq went to contractors for the U.S. military and other government agencies, The New York Times reported.
The report found that from 2003-2007 the government awarded contracts in Iraq worth about $85 billion. Since the Bush administration awards contracts now at a rate of $15 billion to $20 billion a year, the report said contracting costs will top the $100 billion mark before the end of 2008, people familiar with the report said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bizness is going great, if you are an American working in Iraq - unless of course, you happen to be in the military.
Comments?
Media.
The Daily Left - August 12th
GoLeft.tv
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Russia Ends Aggression Against Georgia; McCain Lifts Georgia Speech from Wikipedia; Clinton Advisor Penn Painted Obama as Un-American; Private Contractor Use for Military Skyrocketing; Cartoon by Matt Filipowicz
Comments?
Politics.
Democrats adopt 2008 Party Platform
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Democrats shaped a set of principles Saturday that commits the party to guaranteed health care for all, heading off a potentially divisive debate and edging the party closer to the position of Barack Obama's defeated rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
On Iraq, the platform states that Democrats "expect to complete redeployment within 16 months," reflecting Obama's time frame but not the tone of certainty he brought to it when he was running in the primaries.
On trade, it promises a multilateral approach to improving the North American Free Trade Agreement, without saying specifically what those changes should be. Obama criticized NAFTA when campaigning in states that felt disadvantaged by it, but the platform offers no suggestion he would take unilateral action against the deal.
The party also:
Promises "tough, practical, and humane immigration reform in the first year of the next administration."
Favors restoration of the ban on assault-type weapons and other "reasonable regulation" that recognizes the constitutional right to own and use firearms.
Favors helping religious groups provide social services as long as "public funds are not used to proselytize or discriminate."
Promises to close the Guantanamo detention center.
Promises to double the size of the Peace Corps.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyone out there have a link to the actual platform draft?
Comments?
Pakistan intelligence helping Taliban: NATO general
AFP
File photo shows US General David D. McKiernan, who has said Pakistan's intelligence agency is helping the Taliban to pursue an insurgency in Afghanistan that has seen a 50 percent hike in attacks in some areas this year. (AFP/File/Paul Richards)
KABUL (AFP) - Pakistan's intelligence agency is helping the Taliban to pursue an insurgency in Afghanistan that has seen a 50 percent hike in attacks in some areas this year, the NATO commander here told AFP.
The number of foreign fighters, including Europeans, is also increasing here while NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) still lacks the soldiers it needs, US General David D. McKiernan said in a weekend interview.
"There certainly is a level of ISI complicity in the militant areas in Pakistan and organisations such as the Taliban," the four-star general said, echoing allegations by Afghan President Hamid Karzai and others.
"I can't say to what level of leadership that goes to but there are indications of complicity on the part of ISI... to the extent that they are facilitating these militant groups that come out of the tribal areas in Pakistan."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bush's dictator buddy, Musharraf, isn't long for this world...
Comments?
Economy.
Junk Bond Defaults Rise As Economy Slows (next shoe to drop?)
Investor's Business Daily
Defaults on consumer debt -- mortgages, credit cards, home equity loans -- have dominated the news and sent markets reeling in recent months. Now the next wave of defaults looms. And it's a growing roster of corporations that figure to be the deadbeats.
U.S. corporate bond defaults are already on the rise. Moody's on Aug. 7 reported a sharp rise in July defaults and now expects the global default rate to climb over 6% over the next year. That's up from less than 1% in late 2007.
Standard & Poor's predicts that 4.9% of all speculative grade borrowers will default over the next 12 months. And there is a chance -- estimated at 20% -- that things could get much worse, with over 8% defaulting. Default, of course, sets the stage for bankruptcy court. "Default typically precedes Chapter 11," said Diane Vazza, head of global fixed income at Standard & Poor's.
Like a storm felling the weakest trees, a new wave of defaults would level the most debt-laden firms. It would mean new losses for many of the private equity deal makers, banks and investors who financed recent debt-heavy leveraged buyouts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paulson says won't stay at Treasury past January
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bush Economic Miracle presses ever onward...
Comments?
Media.
"Hands"
BarackObama.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments?
Politics.
Obama airs radio attack vs. McCain with Harley-Davidson AD
AFP
YORK, Pennsylvania (AFP) — Barack Obama's White House campaign revved up a high-octane barrage against rival John McCain Tuesday, accusing the Republican of abandoning made-in-America goods to the detriment of US workers.
Ahead of a McCain event in York, Pennsylvania, which is home to a big Harley-Davidson plant, Obama's campaign said McCain opposed the Buy American Act which requires the government to order US-made goods where practical.
The Democrat aired a radio ad called "Harley" in York and in Milwaukee, where the iconic US manufacturer is based, to highlight also Obama's opposition to tax breaks for US companies that export jobs to cheaper countries.
The ad featured McCain appearing at the recent Sturgis motorbike rally in South Dakota where he proclaimed to cheering bikers: "Not long ago a couple hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent.
"I will take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day!"
With the noise of a motorcycle engine throbbing in the background, the Obama ad's narrator says: "It's time to hear the roar of a strong American economy again, and stop John McCain from shipping our jobs overseas."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Listen to the Obama Campaign Ad, "Motorcycle"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments?
Iraq demands 'clear timeline' for US withdrawal
The Wired Dispatch
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari speaks during a news conference at the foreign ministry in Baghdad July 2, 2008. REUTERS/Mohammed Jalil/Pool/Files
Iraq's foreign minister insisted Sunday that any security deal with the United States must contain a "very clear timeline" for the departure of U.S. troops. A suicide bomber struck north of Baghdad, killing at least five people including an American soldier.
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told reporters that American and Iraqi negotiators were "very close" to reaching a long-term security agreement that will set the rules for U.S. troops in Iraq after the U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year.
Zebari said the Iraqis were insisting that the agreement include a "very clear timeline" for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces, but he refused to talk about specific dates.
"No, no definitely there has to be a very clear timeline," Zebari replied when asked if the Iraqis would accept an agreement that did not mention dates.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments?
Republican Congresswoman Miller says it's time to get out of Iraq
The Macomb Daily
A U.S. soldier from the Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment runs at the site where an explosive device went of inside a house during security operations in Diyala province August 8, 2008. Picture taken August 8. REUTERS/Andrea Comas (IRAQ)
U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, once a fervent supporter of the Iraq war, says it's time for U.S. combat troops to get out of Iraq.
Miller, serving her third term in Congress, first made her new position known in a letter to the editor in last Sunday's Macomb Daily. The lawmaker said that the United States' continued financial support of Iraqi reconstruction must end, especially now that Iraq has posted a $79 billion deficit.
"We've done everything and more that can be expected of us. Iraq should provide their own security and ensure their own freedoms," the lawmaker said.
Miller said an orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops, as requested by Maliki, would provide a reasonable resolution to the war, though one that probably would not be categorized as a U.S. victory.
"There's never a perfect ending, I guess, in war," she said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments?
Media.
"W"
Oliver Stone
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments?
Politics.
Edwards Admits Sexual Affair; Lied as Presidential Candidate
ABCNews
Former U.S. Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards faces supporters at his South Carolina primary night rally in Columbia, South Carolina, in this file photo from January 26, 2008. Edwards has admitted to having had an extramarital affair with a woman he met in a New York City bar in 2006, ABC News reported on August 8, 2008. REUTERS/Chris Keane/files (UNITED STATES)
John Edwards repeatedly lied during his Presidential campaign about an extramarital affair with a novice filmmaker, the former Senator admitted to ABC News today.
In an interview for broadcast tonight on Nightline, Edwards told ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff he did have an affair with 44-year old Rielle Hunter, but said that he loved only his wife, Elizabeth.
"Two years ago I made a very serious mistake," Edwards said, blaming the prominence of being a vice presidential candidate. "All of which fed a self-focus, an egotism, a narcissism that leads you to believe that you can do whatever you want," he said.
Edwards also denied he was the father of Hunter's baby girl, Frances Quinn, although the one-time Democratic Presidential candidate said he has not taken a paternity test. He said he would be happy to take one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is no room for BullShit., in today's partisan environment.
Edwards' political career is OVER.
Comments?
Sadr to dissolve militia if US withdraws from Iraq
AFP
A Mahdi Army militiaman stands under a portrait of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on the outskirts of Baghdad's impoverished district of Sadr City in March 2008.
(AFP/File/Wissam al-Okaili)
NAJAF, Iraq (AFP) — Radical Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr has ordered his Mahdi Army militia to lay down its arms if a security pact between Baghdad and Washington provides for a withdrawal from Iraq, his spokesman said on Friday.
"We want to see whether the provisions of the agreement are serious. We will be satisfied if the agreement contains the withdrawal of US forces," Salah al-Obeidi, chief spokesman for the Sadr movement, told AFP.
"If so, we will complete the reorganisation of the Mahdi Army which aims to transform it into a social organisation," he said in the Shiite stronghold of Najaf, about 160 kilometres (99 miles) south of Baghdad.
But he also warned that if the withdrawal terms were not written into the agreement then Sadr's forces would remain armed.
"We will be forced to await the decision of withdrawal of American forces."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Republic of Georgia to withdraw 1,000 soldiers from Iraq
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments?
Politics.
Cindy Sheehan is officially on the ballot for Pelosi's House Seat
CindyForCongress.org
(San Francisco)-- A year to the date exactly after formally announcing her intention to challenge Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi for her seat in California's 8th district, Cindy Sheehan is officially on the ballot as a "Decline to State" candidate.
In order to qualify as a "Decline to State" candidate Sheehan was required to submit 10,198 signatures from registered voters in the district by August 8th, 2008; Sheehan's campaign collected close to double the amount of signatures needed and qualified before the deadline.
"Getting on the ballot is just the first victory for our campaign," says Sheehan.
"I am even more convinced now than I was a year ago that the people of San Francisco are ready to lead the way to step outside of the dated two-party system and elect someone who truly represents San Francisco values, not party loyalties and criminal activities."
"In a recent interview Nancy Pelosi admitted she couldn't even name a crime that the Bush administration has committed, by the end of this campaign she'll be well versed in all of them, even the ones she's complicit in."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cindy Sheehan lives in San Francisco and is running for Congress in California's 8th District. Her oldest son Casey was killed in Iraq in April of 2004. She rose to international fame as a peace activist in August of 2005 after camping out in front of President Bush's vacation home asking him to meet with her and explain what noble cause her son died for.
Comments?
Media.
ShockedandAwful.com's Anti-War Juke Box
playlist.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments?
Copyright © 2008 ShockedandAwful.com
Total In Combat
Since war began: 4139 3366
Since 5/1/2003: 4000 3258
Official Estimated
Total Wounded: 30490 100000+
This website is best viewed with Internet Explorer... Some images may not appear in other web browsers... Here's Reuter's Iraq AlertNet Update for August 12, 2008: BAQUBA - Iraqi authorities imposed a curfew on the capital of restive Diyala province on Tuesday after the governor survived a suicide attack that left two people were killed and seven wounded... BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb wounded eight people including four traffic policemen in Bab al-Sheikh district of central Baghdad, police said... MOSUL - Gunmen killed one policeman when they attacked his house in eastern Mosul, police said. One gunman was killed in the attack... BAGHDAD - Two Iraqis were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded by a U.S. military patrol near Beirut Square in eastern Baghdad, police said... BAQUBA - Four women were killed and four others wounded, including a woman, when a roadside bomb exploded by their pick-up vehicle near Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad, police said... MOSUL - A car bomb exploded near a petrol station and wounded two people in eastern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said... MOSUL - A pipe bomb attached to a car killed a man on Sunday in Mosul, police said... BAQUBA - A suicide bomber killed two people and wounded seven others after detonating an explosive vest near a convoy carrying the governor of Diyala province, police said. Governor Raad Rasheed was unharmed in the attack in central Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad... BAQUBA - A female suicide bomber wearing a belt packed with explosives killed a policeman and wounded 17 people when she targeted a police station in central Baquba, police said...
Lame Duck Russia Expert Condi Rice Out of the Picture on Georgia Assault. State Dept. Terms Absence a 'Personal Leave.'A BuzzFlash News Alert
Old Glory, Oh Lordy! American Flag Flip-Flopped by Bushy Boy. -- Caption This -- Send us your caption.
BuzzFlash Premium: BBC Wild China (2008) -- 2 Discs (300 Minutes). Documentary.
Save the Date: BuzzFlash Conference in Philly on Sat. Sept 27. "Uniting Progressives and the Working Class" -- A BuzzFlash Save the Date Alert
The Diplomat Decathlon: Bush's Marathon of Olympic Blunders -- A BuzzFlash News Analysis
AP: "Former Justice Department officials will not face prosecution for letting improper political considerations drive hirings of prosecutors, immigration judges and other career government lawyers, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said Tuesday." Impeach this guy too!
"Contractors reap 85 billion dollars from Iraq war: US report." You can be sure that estimate is on the low side.
GAO finding: Majority of corporations pay no taxes. Levin decries 'tax trickery.' -- A BuzzFlash News Alert
Your Thoughts Wanted Read and Comment on BuzzFlash.com Original Columns by Clicking Here. BuzzFlash.org is the Place to Find Our Original Content and Chime In. Scroll Down and Read Them All.
Frank Wietrzychowski: Pipeline To Disaster -- A BuzzFlash Reader Contribution
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
For more information please review Title 17, Sec. 107 of the U.S. Code. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
This website is the dedicated work of a Marine Corps veteran, Del Wasso.
Upset with the lack of responsible journalism in the build-up to the War in Iraq, this website attempts to provide for the public those news articles which are daily being ignored by the corporate media.
Thank you for visiting.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact
Forum
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Russia and Georgia agree to peace plan: Sarkozy
AFP
A woman from Georgia cries as she holds a Georgian flag. REUTERS/Petr Josek (CZECH REPUBLIC)
TBILISI (AFP) — Russia and Georgia have agreed to a plan brokered by France aimed at restoring peace in the region, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said here Wednesday.
"There is a text. It has been accepted in Moscow, it was accepted here in Georgia. I have the agreement of all the protaganists," Sarkozy said at an early-morning news conference in the Georgian capital.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Georgia's exit from Iraq leaves vacuum near border
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments?
Economy.
Most companies in US avoid federal income taxes
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two-thirds of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes between 1998 and 2005, according to a new report from Congress.
The study by the Government Accountability Office, expected to be released Tuesday, said about 68 percent of foreign companies doing business in the U.S. avoided corporate taxes over the same period.
Collectively, the companies reported trillions of dollars in sales, according to GAO's estimate.
"It's shameful that so many corporations make big profits and pay nothing to support our country," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who asked for the GAO study with Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.
"It's time for the big corporations to pay their fair share," Dorgan said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two-thirds of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes between 1998 and 2005? That leaves LOTS of money with which Corporate America can bribe our Congressmen with.
Comments?
Gov't report says Iraq contracts may top 100B in cost to taxpayers
UPI
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- A government report indicates that from the invasion of Iraq until the end of 2008 the United States will have spent some $100 billion on private contractor
The Congressional Budget Office's report, scheduled for release Tuesday, indicates one of every five dollars spent on the war in Iraq went to contractors for the U.S. military and other government agencies, The New York Times reported.
The report found that from 2003-2007 the government awarded contracts in Iraq worth about $85 billion. Since the Bush administration awards contracts now at a rate of $15 billion to $20 billion a year, the report said contracting costs will top the $100 billion mark before the end of 2008, people familiar with the report said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bizness is going great, if you are an American working in Iraq - unless of course, you happen to be in the military.
Comments?
Media.
The Daily Left - August 12th
GoLeft.tv
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Russia Ends Aggression Against Georgia; McCain Lifts Georgia Speech from Wikipedia; Clinton Advisor Penn Painted Obama as Un-American; Private Contractor Use for Military Skyrocketing; Cartoon by Matt Filipowicz
Comments?
Politics.
Democrats adopt 2008 Party Platform
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Democrats shaped a set of principles Saturday that commits the party to guaranteed health care for all, heading off a potentially divisive debate and edging the party closer to the position of Barack Obama's defeated rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
On Iraq, the platform states that Democrats "expect to complete redeployment within 16 months," reflecting Obama's time frame but not the tone of certainty he brought to it when he was running in the primaries.
On trade, it promises a multilateral approach to improving the North American Free Trade Agreement, without saying specifically what those changes should be. Obama criticized NAFTA when campaigning in states that felt disadvantaged by it, but the platform offers no suggestion he would take unilateral action against the deal.
The party also:
Promises "tough, practical, and humane immigration reform in the first year of the next administration."
Favors restoration of the ban on assault-type weapons and other "reasonable regulation" that recognizes the constitutional right to own and use firearms.
Favors helping religious groups provide social services as long as "public funds are not used to proselytize or discriminate."
Promises to close the Guantanamo detention center.
Promises to double the size of the Peace Corps.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyone out there have a link to the actual platform draft?
Comments?
Pakistan intelligence helping Taliban: NATO general
AFP
File photo shows US General David D. McKiernan, who has said Pakistan's intelligence agency is helping the Taliban to pursue an insurgency in Afghanistan that has seen a 50 percent hike in attacks in some areas this year. (AFP/File/Paul Richards)
KABUL (AFP) - Pakistan's intelligence agency is helping the Taliban to pursue an insurgency in Afghanistan that has seen a 50 percent hike in attacks in some areas this year, the NATO commander here told AFP.
The number of foreign fighters, including Europeans, is also increasing here while NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) still lacks the soldiers it needs, US General David D. McKiernan said in a weekend interview.
"There certainly is a level of ISI complicity in the militant areas in Pakistan and organisations such as the Taliban," the four-star general said, echoing allegations by Afghan President Hamid Karzai and others.
"I can't say to what level of leadership that goes to but there are indications of complicity on the part of ISI... to the extent that they are facilitating these militant groups that come out of the tribal areas in Pakistan."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bush's dictator buddy, Musharraf, isn't long for this world...
Comments?
Economy.
Junk Bond Defaults Rise As Economy Slows (next shoe to drop?)
Investor's Business Daily
Defaults on consumer debt -- mortgages, credit cards, home equity loans -- have dominated the news and sent markets reeling in recent months. Now the next wave of defaults looms. And it's a growing roster of corporations that figure to be the deadbeats.
U.S. corporate bond defaults are already on the rise. Moody's on Aug. 7 reported a sharp rise in July defaults and now expects the global default rate to climb over 6% over the next year. That's up from less than 1% in late 2007.
Standard & Poor's predicts that 4.9% of all speculative grade borrowers will default over the next 12 months. And there is a chance -- estimated at 20% -- that things could get much worse, with over 8% defaulting. Default, of course, sets the stage for bankruptcy court. "Default typically precedes Chapter 11," said Diane Vazza, head of global fixed income at Standard & Poor's.
Like a storm felling the weakest trees, a new wave of defaults would level the most debt-laden firms. It would mean new losses for many of the private equity deal makers, banks and investors who financed recent debt-heavy leveraged buyouts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paulson says won't stay at Treasury past January
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bush Economic Miracle presses ever onward...
Comments?
Media.
"Hands"
BarackObama.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments?
Politics.
Obama airs radio attack vs. McCain with Harley-Davidson AD
AFP
YORK, Pennsylvania (AFP) — Barack Obama's White House campaign revved up a high-octane barrage against rival John McCain Tuesday, accusing the Republican of abandoning made-in-America goods to the detriment of US workers.
Ahead of a McCain event in York, Pennsylvania, which is home to a big Harley-Davidson plant, Obama's campaign said McCain opposed the Buy American Act which requires the government to order US-made goods where practical.
The Democrat aired a radio ad called "Harley" in York and in Milwaukee, where the iconic US manufacturer is based, to highlight also Obama's opposition to tax breaks for US companies that export jobs to cheaper countries.
The ad featured McCain appearing at the recent Sturgis motorbike rally in South Dakota where he proclaimed to cheering bikers: "Not long ago a couple hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent.
"I will take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day!"
With the noise of a motorcycle engine throbbing in the background, the Obama ad's narrator says: "It's time to hear the roar of a strong American economy again, and stop John McCain from shipping our jobs overseas."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Listen to the Obama Campaign Ad, "Motorcycle"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments?
Iraq demands 'clear timeline' for US withdrawal
The Wired Dispatch
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari speaks during a news conference at the foreign ministry in Baghdad July 2, 2008. REUTERS/Mohammed Jalil/Pool/Files
Iraq's foreign minister insisted Sunday that any security deal with the United States must contain a "very clear timeline" for the departure of U.S. troops. A suicide bomber struck north of Baghdad, killing at least five people including an American soldier.
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told reporters that American and Iraqi negotiators were "very close" to reaching a long-term security agreement that will set the rules for U.S. troops in Iraq after the U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year.
Zebari said the Iraqis were insisting that the agreement include a "very clear timeline" for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces, but he refused to talk about specific dates.
"No, no definitely there has to be a very clear timeline," Zebari replied when asked if the Iraqis would accept an agreement that did not mention dates.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments?
Republican Congresswoman Miller says it's time to get out of Iraq
The Macomb Daily
A U.S. soldier from the Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment runs at the site where an explosive device went of inside a house during security operations in Diyala province August 8, 2008. Picture taken August 8. REUTERS/Andrea Comas (IRAQ)
U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, once a fervent supporter of the Iraq war, says it's time for U.S. combat troops to get out of Iraq.
Miller, serving her third term in Congress, first made her new position known in a letter to the editor in last Sunday's Macomb Daily. The lawmaker said that the United States' continued financial support of Iraqi reconstruction must end, especially now that Iraq has posted a $79 billion deficit.
"We've done everything and more that can be expected of us. Iraq should provide their own security and ensure their own freedoms," the lawmaker said.
Miller said an orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops, as requested by Maliki, would provide a reasonable resolution to the war, though one that probably would not be categorized as a U.S. victory.
"There's never a perfect ending, I guess, in war," she said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments?
Media.
"W"
Oliver Stone
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments?
Politics.
Edwards Admits Sexual Affair; Lied as Presidential Candidate
ABCNews
Former U.S. Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards faces supporters at his South Carolina primary night rally in Columbia, South Carolina, in this file photo from January 26, 2008. Edwards has admitted to having had an extramarital affair with a woman he met in a New York City bar in 2006, ABC News reported on August 8, 2008. REUTERS/Chris Keane/files (UNITED STATES)
John Edwards repeatedly lied during his Presidential campaign about an extramarital affair with a novice filmmaker, the former Senator admitted to ABC News today.
In an interview for broadcast tonight on Nightline, Edwards told ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff he did have an affair with 44-year old Rielle Hunter, but said that he loved only his wife, Elizabeth.
"Two years ago I made a very serious mistake," Edwards said, blaming the prominence of being a vice presidential candidate. "All of which fed a self-focus, an egotism, a narcissism that leads you to believe that you can do whatever you want," he said.
Edwards also denied he was the father of Hunter's baby girl, Frances Quinn, although the one-time Democratic Presidential candidate said he has not taken a paternity test. He said he would be happy to take one.
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There is no room for BullShit., in today's partisan environment.
Edwards' political career is OVER.
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Sadr to dissolve militia if US withdraws from Iraq
AFP
A Mahdi Army militiaman stands under a portrait of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on the outskirts of Baghdad's impoverished district of Sadr City in March 2008.
(AFP/File/Wissam al-Okaili)
NAJAF, Iraq (AFP) — Radical Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr has ordered his Mahdi Army militia to lay down its arms if a security pact between Baghdad and Washington provides for a withdrawal from Iraq, his spokesman said on Friday.
"We want to see whether the provisions of the agreement are serious. We will be satisfied if the agreement contains the withdrawal of US forces," Salah al-Obeidi, chief spokesman for the Sadr movement, told AFP.
"If so, we will complete the reorganisation of the Mahdi Army which aims to transform it into a social organisation," he said in the Shiite stronghold of Najaf, about 160 kilometres (99 miles) south of Baghdad.
But he also warned that if the withdrawal terms were not written into the agreement then Sadr's forces would remain armed.
"We will be forced to await the decision of withdrawal of American forces."
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Republic of Georgia to withdraw 1,000 soldiers from Iraq
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Politics.
Cindy Sheehan is officially on the ballot for Pelosi's House Seat
CindyForCongress.org
(San Francisco)-- A year to the date exactly after formally announcing her intention to challenge Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi for her seat in California's 8th district, Cindy Sheehan is officially on the ballot as a "Decline to State" candidate.
In order to qualify as a "Decline to State" candidate Sheehan was required to submit 10,198 signatures from registered voters in the district by August 8th, 2008; Sheehan's campaign collected close to double the amount of signatures needed and qualified before the deadline.
"Getting on the ballot is just the first victory for our campaign," says Sheehan.
"I am even more convinced now than I was a year ago that the people of San Francisco are ready to lead the way to step outside of the dated two-party system and elect someone who truly represents San Francisco values, not party loyalties and criminal activities."
"In a recent interview Nancy Pelosi admitted she couldn't even name a crime that the Bush administration has committed, by the end of this campaign she'll be well versed in all of them, even the ones she's complicit in."
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Cindy Sheehan lives in San Francisco and is running for Congress in California's 8th District. Her oldest son Casey was killed in Iraq in April of 2004. She rose to international fame as a peace activist in August of 2005 after camping out in front of President Bush's vacation home asking him to meet with her and explain what noble cause her son died for.
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Media.
ShockedandAwful.com's Anti-War Juke Box
playlist.com
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